At ALSO Festival last month, Philippa Perry talked about how we can be happier by not setting expectations of things. If you go to the quiet carriage for a train, for example – where I am currently writing this review from – and expect it to be quiet then you will almost certainly be let down. Having expectations, she said, is to set yourself up for disappointment.
Ah, what a shame – because I had such high expectations for Darkfield’s ARCADE at Edinburgh Fringe. A show – or rather, an experience – set in an arcade game-style environment and promising the nostalgic 8-bit aesthetic of 1980s video games with a choose your own adventure-style storyline that plays out in pitch darkness.
The set-up of the show is that each attendee has their own arcade machine at which they stand wearing binaural headphones. You use a button on the machine to answer yes or no questions that guide your avatar through the experience to one of over thirty potential endings. The setting is a dystopian world that is in some form of permanent war.
Besides the ‘yes or no’ button, the only other functionality of the arcade game is the depositing of a coin in the machine’s coin slot. This brings us to the question of what the purpose of the arcade setting is.
The ‘’80s aesthetic’ isn’t apparent during the adventure due to the blackout – what aesthetic is there in the dark? – and the storyline bears no resemblance to any 80’s nostalgia. Not to mention that in the dark you could be pressing a button on anything and putting a coin in any slot. The arcade game could be a vending machine or a car park pay point for all the effect it has.
Reviewing the storyline is difficult given that there are thirty potential endings. I can only comment on my particular path which was confused and incoherent. In the 25-minute experience, it’s rarely clear who the characters are, never mind what their intentions are, and I came away with zero sense of who my character avatar was. In a way, I guess, they are me, but why were they in these situations?
This disjointed feeling meant that my avatar was simply moving from one disconnected scene to another: at home, with a revolution group, in a bank, with a potential lover, visiting a cult. These unrelated vignettes told no story and held no tension. I was surprised and disappointed when the experience came to an end, mostly because it felt like nothing had happened yet. That’s the problem with expectations, you come away disappointed. ARCADE is apparently meant to be experienced multiple times but I had no desire to play again.
Rating: ★☆☆☆☆
ARCADE is at Summerhall, Edinburgh until 26 August 2024
